There is more in the story above. As I understand it the chain of command is POTUS-DNI-Patreus. The DNI could be likened to the SecDef when talking about the Navy and Army. If someone has a clearer understanding of the chain of command please feel free to chime in.

Not sure if this will help but here is Col. David Hunt's complete radio interview after the Ryan/Biden debate. He was very angry because he knew Biden had lied in the debate. He explains how some things work in the chain of command and knew right away something wasn't right when he found out the emergency button in Benghazi had been tripped. It's pretty long but informative.

Not sure if this will help but here is Col. David Hunt's complete radio interview after the Ryan/Biden debate. He was very angry because he knew Biden had lied in the debate. He explains how some things work in the chain of command and knew right away something wasn't right when he found out the emergency button in Benghazi had been tripped. It's pretty long but informative.